Motorcycle towing device



Filed April 28, 1942 INVENTOR. Came; 5s L. Ghee/so ATTOENEY itself and. become self-balancing;

Patented Sept. 14, 1943 I "MOTORQYYGLE TOWING DE-vIoE Charles LQGa rrison; San Francisco,,Calif. V Application April 28, 1942, Se'rial No. 446,765 f v 5 Claims.

(cream-292) Mypresent invention relates to a device for a towing. dviceTforfa motorcycle which inaddi tion toiex'ertinga pulling force upon the towed motorcycle will also operate when negotiating a curveto incline the towed motorcycle in the direction. of said curve and cause it to thus steer Another object ofv the invention'is, to

which "will .operateto, maintain, the motorcycle or bicyclejin a gtrailingfmanner without any I provide 1 a towing device for a solo motorcycle or bicycle shimmying or .swayingiwhen.travelingjat any speedwhich the roadway will permit.

Anotherobjectofthe invention is to provid a towing arrangenient'for a motorcycle or bicycle which will prevent any, undue jerking or bucking ofthe. motorcycle or bicycle. due to relative up and down movement betweenthe towing and towed vehicles when ,negotiatingfla rough roadway.

Another object of the-invention istofprovide a towing devicev for motorcycle. or bicycle which can be quickly and. easily attachedand detached from a-tow'ing vehicle and also from the motorcycle or bicyclev in a simple and convenient manner. c

' At'the pre'sent-timebecause oftheconven'ience in going from one place to anotherby automobile and particularly toypoints where motorcycling and bicycle riding can" be" indulged in either for .sport or pleasure there has developed a demand for a means ,bywhichljmotorcycles andbi'cycles may be taken alongwithout requiringthat they be ridden to these points. e Forexample, in the case of motorcyclesusedin competition the track is generally at some distance from the'point of residence and to save the rider .theyare generally not ridden to the place where ,the competition is held." Bicycles also give added pleasure if they can be taken from thechome toparks; beaches or other distant places without having-to be ridden to these points. It'is also thecustom in garages having a call for-and delivery service to provide an e'r nploye with a motorcycle that can towed at therearof an automobile being called for or delivered, butso far as I am aware, .these motorf atowing arrangement which will avoid the'neees- 'sity for motorcycles of the "three-wheeled; car type.

shown by way or illustration emitter- In the drawing: H e c I 2 Figure 1 is.*a;fragmentary side elevation showcycles meow ofithe three-'wheeldtyp, either of tricycleyconstruction or are motorcycles ha'v} ing a sidec'ar attachment. "While motorcyclesflof this character are satisfactoryz they are more expensive'than a solo motorcycle and'it s th e;- fore a further object of [the invfention'fto pro de other Ob e and, v a sfld j live n w b in, ar sv e fiqith e. sk l d i the art and, in" part pointed outfin eonnection with the"accompanyingdrawingwhereinfthere' ing the rear of a towing vehicle and'a portion' o f a motorcycle ,as connected in towing relation with Jeachother b a device constructed i" accordance 'with apreferredembodiment of the inventi Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of th vice as illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing,

Figures 3 and 4 are fragmentary vi'ews'showiiig details of a modified fforrri ofga Qattaching deivice foruse upon therearburnperfof a towing vehicle'and, 7 1 v I z y,

vFigure 5 is a fragmentary'detailedview showing a preferred type of means' for attaching the towing deviceto the frame of a nictor'cycleor bi ycl c a p Upon referring, to Figures 1 and 2 of the draw;- ing'it will be seen thatmyinvention'contemplates the use'of a rigid tow bar, designateqhyfthe numeral l0, that is adapted to be connected between an automobile or other-towing vehicle [I and a frame portion i2 of a motorcycledesignated generally by the numeral 13; The towbar] I0 is preferablyattached to a rear bumper l l'of an automobile. For this purpose the invention con;- templates .a platelike'membe r I5 that *rnaybe firmly attached at ,any point 1 alongfth e rear bumper ,l land which carries'spacedears [G be": tween which a horizontallyfextended shaftbr spindle His journaled and from which thereeigftendsa' vertical shaft l8 upon which the leading end of the towbar Ill is journaled bymeans offa bearing member I9 formed integrally thereupon;

At its trailing end the towbar It) has an integral horizontally disposed bearingmember 2,0 thatis journaled upon I a horizontally" extending shaft 2| which extends outwardly fromj a spindle 22 that is mounted to l turn abouta forwardly in;

.clined axis. 5 This spindle 22 is shown as 'journaled between ears 23 carriedplatej ljwhich isse';

cured transversely upon the motorcycle frame I2 by means of suitable clamps 25. With this arrangement it will be seen that because of the vertically extending bearingv l9 at its forward end and the horizontally extending bearing member 20 at its trailing end towbar II) will be retained in torque sustaining relation between the towing vehicle II and the motorcycle frame I2.

At this point it should be noted that the horizontallyz extending" shaft 2| and; theforwardly inclinedspindle 22 at the trailing end of the towbar H! are disposed at a point rearwardly of the axis of a steering head 25 of the motorcycle frame I2. A further feature wliichiis'imporlzznt to consider at this time is the fact that the point of contact of the front-'whee'll-l' cf" the motorcycle with the roadwzaya;- likewise occurs rearwardly of an extension of i the. axis about which the front wheel supporting forks- "turn aplimited amount in; a,horizontal; plane. This rod:lsipassesdreely-throughian eyelet- 31'. formed upon the forward part of a forke'likemember- 32 that: is, adapted. to, be sprung. over the. extend- 111a; ends.- Qfl' a..-shaft-J33, upon whichflthe front wheel, 2,1? of the motorcyclelis mounted, openingr of the, eyelet, 31 is, considerably,...larger thanthezdiameter of; the. rod-.23. and] as a result itv will; slide smote.- or. less freely over the [rod-'2 9 without; interfering withthe normal balancing movementtof, the. front/(wheel ,2 1 after the .towing vehicle.- and:- motorcyclahaveattained a. suitable towing velocityt. Eonsafetyrandimorder to prevent any abnormal displacement of theef ront wheel 2.1 :snchmsamight occur at lowivelocities as in; starting or,- stopping orlhy obstaolesin the roadway the rods 20.,alsa carries two (oppositely arranged relatively light compression springs I and, against which the ..eye1et...3l-. is adapted o: enmetwhen ;the-.-front.,wheeli 21 .is abnormally dhpl'acedt spring 3L lS5. retained. upon ,the rodiiiby, acollar, 36iand.. tbe--.spring iilis arr ransed to abut. against1tht-i -clievis. 311, carried. by tbegtowhari-lllw Reference ismowrmada toiFiguresn3. and. 4. of

itheedrawi-ngiforta detailed, description otiamoditowbar I0 is adapted to swing. With this arrangement it will be seen that the entire assembly may be detached from the bumper [4 or the towbar may be detached from the yokelike member 38 by merely removing the vertical extending pin 39. At this point it should also be stated that the spindle 22 at the trailing end of the towbar I0 is preferably journaled upon a pin which can be likewise easily withdrawn to permit a id'etachment of theitowbat In from the motorcycle.

As a. resultwhen' the ends of the fork-like member 32 are disengaged from the shaft 33, the towbar with the fork-like membe!3'l can-lbercompletely removed from the momotorcycle. The problempfisecuring tl i'ejplate Zltolth frame llas here shown is a'irelatlvely lsi'mple matterwhereas'. if" the f 1tame II, has, "only ,a. single outwardly extendin'guframe"pprtion at this point. it will" be necessary toisecure 'thefplate flithereto. in an'inimov'abie, m'anner asforexampleby, welding.

1., while the.- exactfynature" min fbrces excited lthroughthe towbar' llffrom the" towingyehicle l fl to. the motorcycl'e..l3 are not fully.un de'rstood it isabelieved. that the ,op erationflof.f1the invention can expl'ainediflby the follbwi'n'gi If it is first assumed that thefispindle .12? atitl'ie trailing; end of the. tcwbar Hti's mountedlupcn the motorcycle frame-'12 so that. it can turn; about a vertical axis. it. willibefiseenthat the tracking. f: the motcrcyclejin proper trailing relation will be .dependentupcimthe 'ability ofithe frontiwli'eel 21 to maintainfitselfin line with' the clirection of tends iewnwardlythrou h the hearing m er I!" to provide a verticalaxis about which the the. movement'ffor the motorcycle: In such. an arrangement. the. towbar. I Ojwill' be required to also maintain the motorcy clein; a substantially vertical upright? position and'j'while such an arran gement' might operatesatisf a'ctorily; when the towing, operation is continuouslyim a ,straight line, it will'be readily seen that 'if a cl'r'angeoclcursinthe directions of. the towing. O eration theyfrcnt wheel of "thefmotorcy cle will"'continueto steer In a. straight line until the eye- 1e t',31 upon the fork-like memberil'comes into en a ementtwithjeither of the springs 34" and 35 upon the rod'ZB'. However, when the spindle 22 is inclined forwardly. at an'angle relative to the, horizontal. line ofthe applied towing. force asi's. contemplated by the present invention; the tendency. for. the motorcycle. to.. continue-. in a straight line after the towban I 0*1'i'as movedsidewise. in the directioniofa turn wilIbe effectively counteracted. may. be explained by the Ia'ctthat when the towbar HT is directed'lto the right on to the. left andiout of parallel relation with .the longitudinalaxis of the motorcycle the spindle" ZTatthe trailingi endftliereof will also be. moved out "of its, verticallplane' and as a. result themotcrcycle frame willbe inclined to theright or to, theJleft depending upon the direction. in which the towbar is swungjbygthe towingivehicle HI From this it willbe seenithat the inclinaf. tiori of the motorcycle frame l2" will be propprtional' to the. sharpness oftthe turn being made. In otherwords whentravelingin-awide sweeping curve the inclination of the motorcycle frame 'willbe'very 'sli-ghtrwhereas'"in-the event of horizontaland a'vertical plane and connectedat iits trailingend'to said means carried by the -motorcycle or bicycle "frame with freedom of a sharp turn the inclination of the motorcycle frame will'be considerably'greater. In this way 1 the inclining'or leaning of the motorcycle in the direc'tion ofthe curve is maintained at a point where the unbalanced weight of thelmotorcycle is sufizlcient'to counteract thecentrifugal force and 'a'sa result the front wheel 21; due was trailand this will further increase the leaning of the. motorcycle inthe direction of the curve beingv negotiated. This additional leaning of the motorcycle will counteract the centrifugal force acting'at the trailing point of contact between the front wheel 21 and the roadway and thus further insure a balancebetween the centrifugal force and the leaning weight of the motorcycle l3. As a further meansfto control the leaning .tendencies of the, motorcycle as in negotiating curves it is also conceivable that the axis of the bearing formingmember l9 might be disposed at movementabout a horizon-tal axis and-about a 1 relatively fixed axis inclined forwardly of a verticalline passing through said horizontal axis,

whereby upon lateral displacement-of theleading end of sai d towbar as in negotiating a curve an outwardly inclining angle with respect to the towing vehicle ll. When this additional provision is made it will be seen, that the leading end of the towbar I8 is moved to the right or left in a horizontal plane and while at the same time exerting a towing force a slight turning torque will also be exerted through the towbar I ll which will tend to increase the leaning characteristics of the motorcycle 3. The connection of the towbar 13 between towing vehicle II and the motorcycle frame l2 by means of the two horizontally disposed shafts IT and 2| permits the motorcycle to rock relative to the towing vehicle 7 in traveling over rough roads without undue disturbance and because of the substantially horizontal disposition of the towbar Ii] all tendency for the motorcycle to buck or oscillate back and forth is eliminated.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order. to disclose the invention so that the same can be readily understood, described and illustrated specific devices and arrangements, I desire to have it understood that this invention'is not limited to the specific means disclosed, but may be embodiedin other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for towing a motorcycle or bicycle in a self-balancing manner behind a towing vehicle, the combination of a single rigid towbar adapted to extend rearwardly from the towing vehicleand along one side of and parallel to the longitudinal axis of a motorcycle or bicycle, means carried by the motorcycle or bicycle frame to which said towbar is attached at a point reare wardly of the front wheel steering head, said towbar being connected against tortional rotation at its leading end to the towing vehicle with freedom of movement only in a substantially said frame' will be inclined fromfits normal vertical positio'n in the direction of said lateral displacement of the leading end 'of *thetowbar and thus" cause the front'wheel to swing in the direc-- tion of the fturn -and' effect ar'iorm'al balancing and steering o'fthe o wed"motorcycle' or bicycle.

'12. In a device ffowiiigja" motorcycle "*inia self-balancing manner behind'fa :towing -vehicle,

' the {cornbinatio nnf [a single'rigid towbar-adapted to-extend rearwardly from a towing'vehicle-and along one side of and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the "motorcycle, a towbar'support'carried by the motorcycle frame to'which said towbar is attached at a pointrearwardly of the front wheelsteering head, said towbar being connected at its leading end to the vehicle against tortional'rotation but with freedom to swing in a substantially horizontal plane and rock in a vertical plane and being connected at its trailing end to said towbar support with freedom to rock in the vertical plane and also turn about' an axis inclined forwardly of a vertical line pass ing through its point of attachment to said towbar support, whereby any lateral swinging movement of said towbar as in negotiating a curve will incline said motorcycle frame from its vertical position in the direction of the swinging movement of said towbar and thus cause the front ,wheel to be inclined in the same direction to effect a normal balancing. and steering of the motorcycle. v

3.-In a device for towing a moto-rcycleor bicycle in a self balancing manner behind a towf ing vehicle, the combination of a single rigid torque sustaining towbar attached to and extending rearwardly from a towing vehicle along one side; of the longitudinal axis of a motorcycle or bicycle, means for attaching said towbar without tortional rotation to the towing vehicle butv with freedom of movement in two planes at right angles to each other, means at the trailing end of said towbar extending outwardly at one side of the motorcycle or bicycle frame, a spindle journaled upon said means about an axis inclined forwardly and behind the steering head of the motorcycle or bicycle frame and having a horizontally. projecting shaft intermediate its ends to which'the trailing end of said towbar is journaled, whereby upon a change in the towing angle of said towbar said spindle will operate to incline the motorcycle or bicycle frame in the direction of said change in the towing angle of said towbar and thus cause the front wheel of the motorcycle or bicycle to swing in a similar direction to effect a balancing and steering of the motorcycle or bicycle by its front wheel.

4. In a device for towing a motorcycle or bicycle of conventional construction in a selfbalancing manner behind. a towing vehicle, the combination of a single rigid towbar adapted to extend rearwardly from a towing vehicle along one side of and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the towed motorcycle or bicycle, a towbar support secured to and extending outwardly at one side of the motorcycle or bicycle frame at a point to one side and rearwardly of the steering head to which said towbar is attached to 

